Niagara Health deploys top-tier Canon CTs

ST. CATHARINES, Ont. – Niagara Health has installed new CT technology at its St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland sites, becoming the first hospital in Canada to deploy a fleet of next-generation CT scanners from Canon Medical Systems across multiple locations.

“This project represents one of the most significant investments Niagara Health has made in medical imaging,” said Lynn Guerriero, president and CEO of Niagara Health.

The hospital will invest $16 million to acquire the advanced CT scanners from Canon, and to prepare hospital infrastructure for them, said medical imaging director Janice Feather at an official announcement in St. Catharines last week.

Four systems have now been deployed, and another three will be acquired in 2028, when a new Niagara Health hospital opens.

Four CT scanners, three sites, 12 months and 34 project team members – the scale of this project reflects the extraordinary collaboration and dedication behind its success.

The new scanners provide clearer, more detailed images that support clinical decision-making, while faster exams and improved reliability help improve patient flow across the system.

Since the scanners went live during phased implementation beginning last September, more than 56,000 patients have received care on the new CT systems, helping drive a 10 percent increase in patient scan volumes even before the project was complete.

“This modernization effort has had a meaningful impact on both clinical care and operational efficiency,” said Simon Akinsulie, executive vice-president, practice, clinical support and chief nursing executive. “It enables our teams to move patients through the imaging process more quickly, improving both access to care and the overall patient experience.”

From planning to implementation, this initiative was made possible through the combined efforts of Niagara Health’s medical imaging and project teams, the resilience of frontline staff and care teams, the patience of our patients and the support of community partners and donors.

While supporting the implementation of this large-scale initiative, Niagara Health’s CT team completed 13,675 more outpatient scans in 2025/26 compared to the previous year.

Patients are receiving immediate benefits of decreased wait times following the scanner replacements. Early July data suggests that semi-urgent CT wait times have decreased by 30 percent and routine (non-urgent) CT wait times have decreased by 37percent.

Throughout installation at Marotta Family, Niagara Falls and Welland hospitals, teams ensured continuity of care by leveraging mobile CT units, working with regional partners and coordinating across sites to minimize disruptions to patients.

“Many of our previous scanners served our patients well for years but were becoming increasingly unreliable with age,” said Donna Vanleeuwen, charge technologist. “The difference with the new equipment is remarkable, allowing our teams to focus more on patient care and less on equipment downtime.”

Canon Medical Systems played a key role in delivering the next-generation CT technology at the centre of this transformation.

“We are proud of our partnership with Niagara Health,” said Jens Dettmann, president of Canon Medical Systems Canada. “The new Aquilion ONE/INSIGHT Edition, representing our latest generation CT, provides a better experience for patients and outstanding image quality with our AI solutions that support clinicians in providing exceptional care.”

This investment will deliver benefits for years to come. When Niagara Falls Hospital closes in 2028, the CT scanner currently installed at the site will be relocated to the Marotta Family Hospital, where it will replace an older CT scanner that supports interventional radiology services.

Looking ahead, the South Niagara Hospital will open with three next-gen Canon CT scanners, strengthening diagnostic imaging capacity and supporting timely access to advanced care across the region.

With clinical teams already trained on the new technology and a strong partnership with Canon Medical Systems in place, Niagara Health is well positioned to provide a seamless experience for patients and care providers alike.

The success of this undertaking also deeply reflects the vital support of the Niagara Health Foundation and its generous donors.

“This achievement demonstrates the incredible impact of community support,” said Andrea Scott, president and CEO of the Niagara Health Foundation. “The generosity of our donors enables Niagara Health to bring leading-edge technology to our hospitals and invest in the future of care.”

The project also reflects the contributions of Niagara Health physicians, Dr. Labh Mehta and Dr. Amit Mehta, whose combined efforts have helped advance medical imaging services in the region for more than five decades.

From helping bring Niagara’s first CT scanner to the region in 1984 to championing major imaging investments over the decades that followed, their leadership helped pave the way for this incredible new technology at Niagara Health.

Dr. Julian Dobranowski, chief of medical imaging at Niagara Health and chair in the Department of Radiology at McMaster University, noted that a research program is in the works for DI professionals at Niagara Health.

“We’re building up a culture of academic thinking. So, we’ve started fellowship training programmes as the first step on the educational front, and on the second front will consist of actual research within our department.”